Apparatus for wrapping a conductor bundle

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for wrapping a conductor bundle with at least one tape comprising at least one pair of synchronously operable parallel rollers which are displaceable relatively to each other in a direction perpendicular to their axes in order to clamp a conductor bundle between them, and at least one wind-off roll for a tape which is so arranged that it is rotatable both about the conductor bundle and about its own axis. The conductor bundle may also be clamped between a pair of spaced-apart pressing means which are mutually displaceable in the direction of the roller axes, the confronting surfaces of these pressing means being outwardly curved.

ilnite States Patent Bonvallet 1 1 Jan. 25, 1972 [54] APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING A 1,924,772 8/1933 Clark .57/138 CONDUCTOR BUNDLE 2,717,847 9/1955 R1plcy.... 156/431 2,813,392 11/1957 Wooscy "156/53 X [72] lnventor: Roger Bonvallet, St. Louis, Haut-Rhin. 2,822,575 2/1958 lmbert et a1 ..156/431 X France 3,000,167 9/1961 Pierce 242/706 X 5 5 Assigneez Etablissemems Emile Haefely St. 3,077,068 2/1963 Miller 7/1.

w Haut'Rhm France Primary ExaminerDonald E, Watkins [22] Filed: Dec. 9, 1969 Attorney-Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack Apparatus for wrappinga conductor bundle with at least one [30] Forelgn Appl'camm Pnonty Data tape comprising at least one pair of synchronously operable Dec. 10, 1968 France ..18479/68 Parallel rollers which are displaceable relatively to each other in a direction perpendicular to their axes in order to clamp a 52 U.S. c1 ..s7/1s, 57/138, 156/431 Conductor bundle between them, and at least one Wind-Off 51 1111. c1. ..B6511 81 08, B65h 81/06, B65h 81/00 for a tape which is 80 arranged that h is rotatable both about [58] Field 61 Search ..57/3, 6, 10, 12, 13, 15, 138, the conductor bundle and about its own axis- The Conductor 57/160; 242/706, 7.08, 7.18; 156/51, 47, 53, 56 bundle may also be clamped between a pair of spaced-apart 169, 4 25 3 430 pressing means which are mutually displaceable in the direction of the roller axes, the confronting surfaces of these [56] References Cited pressing means being outwardly curved.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 1,319,982 10/1919 Wieczoreck ..57/3

INVENTOR ROGER BONVALLET ATTORNEYS PATENIED JAN25 m2 sum 2 0F 3 FIGZ INVENTOR ROGER 'BON VALLET \wqs FIGB

BY mmwdf'm ATTORNEYS PATENTEBJANZSISYZ sum 3 or 3 INVENTOR ROGER BONVALLET BY %mmaf, flag-M ATTORNEYS APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING A CONDUCTOR BUNDLE This invention relates to apparatus for wrapping a conductor bundle with at least one band, strip or other tapelike material. For the sake of simplicity in the ensuing description and claims such tapelike material will be referred to simply as tape.

Known apparatus of this kind, which are used for example for wrapping a conductor bundle with one or more electrically insulating tapes, often have the disadvantage that the thickness of the layer of wound-on insulating tape fluctuates more or less along the conductor bundle, which is very undesirable for many applications of the conductor bundle. The reason for such variations is due to a. the quality of the insulating material and b. a certain inability of such apparatus to bring the tape or tapes sufficiently snugly onto the surface of the conductor bundle.

According to the present invention, apparatus for wrapping a conductor bundle with at least one tape comprises at least one pair of synchronously operable parallel rollers which are displaceable relatively to each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to their axes in order to clamp a conductor bundle between them, and at least one wind-off roll for a tape which is so arranged that it is rotatable both about the conductor bundle and about its own axis.

One embodiment of apparatus according to the invention has three pairs of horizontal rollers and three pairs of vertical rollers. In another embodiment, instead of for example three pairs of horizontal rollers, the apparatus may have one pair of pressing means displaceable with respect to each other which are displaceable between the vertical pairs of rollers in the direction of the axes of the rollers and whose confronting surfaces are outwardly curved to receive the conductor bundle.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of part of one embodiment of apparatus according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a part of another embodiment of apparatus according to the invention,

FIG. 3 is a partly sectioned view taken on the line III-III of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing three horizontal pairs of rollers and three vertical pairs of rollers between which the conductor bundle to be wrapped is clamped, the bundle being wrapped three times, and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing three wind-off rollers mounted on an annular support rotatable about a conductor bundle.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 comprises three pairs of rollers l and I1, 2 and 22 and 3 and 33, the rollers I, 2 and 3 being rotatably mounted in a U-shaped housing 4 and the rollers ll, 22 and 33 being rotatably mounted in a U-shaped housing 5. Each of the housings 4 and 5 is movably mounted on a baseplate 6. The housing 5 is provided with an adjusting device 9 comprising a screw-threaded shaft 9a which passes through a screw-threaded hole in a sideplate 12 secured to the baseplate 6. Driving shafts 13 for the rollers 11, 22 and 33 pass through the baseplate 6 and each shaft has a sprocket wheel 14 secured thereto. The rollers are driven via these sprocket wheels 14 by means of chains (not shown).

Two horizontal rollers 7 and 8 are rotatably mounted on the baseplate 6 in a holding means or housing 15. Each of these rollers has a driving shaft 16 to which a sprocket wheel 17 is secured. A conductor bundle 20 of rectangular shape rests by one surface on these rollers 7 and 8, while on the opposite surface of the bundle 20 two rollers 77 and 88 bear. These rollers, which are rotatably mounted in a housing 19, have driving shafts 23 to which sprocket wheels 21 are secured. The housing 4 may be moved towards and away from the housing 5 and the housing 19 may be moved towards and away from the housing by hydraulic means. Only the cylinders 29 and 25 and the piston rods 24 and 26 of these hydraulic means are shown for the housings l9 and 4, respectively.

Prior to wrapping the conductor bundle 20, both the housing 19 secured to the piston rod 26 and the housing 4 secured to the piston rod 24 are withdrawn towards the respective cylinders 25 and 29. The two other housings l5 and 12 are displaced with the adjusting devices 27 and 9 until the conductor bundle 20 rests with one surface on the rollers 7 and 8 and with a side surface fully in contact with the rollers 11, 22 and 33. The housings l9 and 4 are then moved towards the conductor bundle 20 so that the latter is firmly clamped but is displaceable in its longitudinal direction. The hydraulic means give rise to elastic pressure of the rollers l, 2, 3, 77 and 88 on the surfaces of the conductor bundle.

Allthe pairs of rollers l and 11, 2 and 22, 3 and 33,7 and 77 and 8 and 88 have to be driven synchronously, so that the rollers can press on a freshly wrapped insulating tape layer 28 without the possibility of shrinkage in the layer.

Another embodiment of the apparatus is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This apparatus differs mainly from the embodiment of FIG. I in that it has no horizontal rollers. In other respects the vertical pairs of rollers are again designated by the numeralsl and 11, 2 and 22 and 3 and 33. These rollers can also be driven synchronously and are rotatably mounted in U-shaped housings 5 and 4. These housings are displaceably mounted on the baseplate 6, one housing 5 being provided with an adjusting screw 9 and the other housing 4 can be adjusted with hydraulic means. The hydraulic means is shown only in part and comprises essentially a cylinder 34 provided with two ports 34a, 34b, a piston 35 displaceably mounted on the cylinder and a piston rod 36 connected to the piston and firmly secured to the housing 4.

Between the three pairs of rollers there is provided a pair of pressing means 37 and 38 which are displaceable towards and away from one another. The confronting surfaces of these pressing means are outwardly curved to receive the conductor bundle 20. The pressing means 38 is moved up or down by a screw-threaded adjusting device 39, while the pressing means 37 is actuated by hydraulic means. This hydraulic means (only shown partially) comprises a cylinder 40 provided with a connecting pipe 40a, and a piston rod 41 which is rigidly connected with the pressing means 37.

In operation, the pressing means 38 and the housing 5 are so adjusted with the adjusting screws 39 and 9 that a portion of the undersurface of the conductor bundle 20 rests correctly on the pressing means 38 and a side surface of the bundle is in contact with the rollers ll, 2 and 3. The housing 4 and the pressing means 37 are then moved by means of their hydraulic means towards the conductor bundle 20 so that the latter is clamped but can be moved in its longitudinal direction.

Various modifications can, of course be made to the abovedescribed embodiments. Thus instead of two horizontal pairs of rollers, three such pairs or only a single pair may be used.

FIG. 4 shows diagrammatically the coordination of a pair of rollers with a tape-wrapping means. In this Figure, the numerals 42 and 42', 43 and 43', and 44 and 44' designate vertical pairs of rollers, while the numerals 45 and 45', 46 and 46, and 47 and 47' designate horizontal pairs of rollers. All the rollers are driven synchronously via shafts 48 and sprocket wheels 49. In addition the apparatus includes three rotatable wind-off spools 51, 52 and 53 mounted on a common rotatable annulus 50 which is provided internally with gear teeth 5011. These teeth are engaged by the teeth of a driving pinion 54 which, when in operation, rotates the annulus 50 in the direction indicated by the arrow. Each of the wind-off spools 51, 52 and 53 (see FIG. 5) has an electrically insulating tape 28a, 28b or 280 wound onto it. These spools are controlled so that three tape layers are wrapped on the conductor bundle 20 at the same time.

During the wrapping the individual tapes 28a, 28b and 28c are stuck to the conductor bundle 20. If the annulus 50 is rotated, the individual tapes are snugly applied to the conductor bundle accurately spaced from each other. Since the pairs of rollers and the annulus 50 and with it the wind-off rollers 51, 52 and 53 are moved as a whole in the direction of the arrow 60, the triply wrapped conductor bundle passes through lers.

The pressing means 37, 38 and the horizontal rollers 7, 8,

77, 88 may be heated by suitable means (not shown).

it is also an advantage of the apparatus according to the invention that the conductor bundle after having been wrapped does not have to be pressed in a pressing equipment (as has been the case with hitherto known apparatus) because such l pressing is taken care of at the same time by the pairs of rollers so that a subsequent operation is dispensed with.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for wrapping a conductor bundle with at least one tape comprising at least one pair of synchronously operable parallel rollers which are displaceable relatively to each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to their axes in order to clamp a conductor bundle between them, at least one wind-off roll for a tape arranged rotatable both about the conductor bundle and about its own axis, at least one pair of horizontal rollers and at least one pair of vertical rollers, three pairs of horizontal rollers and three pairs of vertical rollers.

2. Apparatus for wrapping a conductor bundle with at least one tape comprising at least one pair of synchronously operable parallel rollers which are displaceable relatively to each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to their axes in order to clamp a conductor bundle between them, at least one wind-off roll for a tape arranged rotatable both about the conductor bundle and about its own axis, said rollers being mutually displaceable by hydraulic means so that an elastic pressure of the rollers on the surfaces of the conductor bundle is provided.

3. Apparatus for wrapping a conductor bundle with at least one tape comprising at least one pair of synchronously operable parallel rollers which are displaceable relatively to each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to their axes in order to clamp a conductor bundle between them, at least one wind-off roll for a tape arranged rotatable both about the conductor bundle and about its own axis, a pair of spaced-apart pressing means which are mutually displaceable in the direction of the roller axes, the confronting surfaces of said pressing means receiving therebetween said conductor bundle, said rollers and said pressing means being each mutually displaceable by hydraulic means so that an elastic pressure is provided by said rollers and said pressing means on the surfaces of the conductor bundle. 

1. Apparatus for wrapping a conductor bundle with at least one tape comprising at least one pair of synchronously operable parallel rollers which are displaceable relatively to each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to their axes in order to clamp a conductor bundle between them, at least one wind-off roll for a tape arranged rotatable both about the conductor bundle and about its own axis, at least one pair of horizontal rollers and at least one pair of vertical rollers, three pairs of horizontal rollers and three pairs of vertical rollers.
 2. Apparatus for wrapping a conductor bundle with at least one tape comprising at least one pair of synchronously operable parallel rollers which are displaceable relatively to each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to their axes in order to clamp a conductor bundle between them, at least one wind-off roll for a tape arranged rotatable both about the conductor bundle and about its own axis, said rollers being mutually displaceable by hyDraulic means so that an elastic pressure of the rollers on the surfaces of the conductor bundle is provided.
 3. Apparatus for wrapping a conductor bundle with at least one tape comprising at least one pair of synchronously operable parallel rollers which are displaceable relatively to each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to their axes in order to clamp a conductor bundle between them, at least one wind-off roll for a tape arranged rotatable both about the conductor bundle and about its own axis, a pair of spaced-apart pressing means which are mutually displaceable in the direction of the roller axes, the confronting surfaces of said pressing means receiving therebetween said conductor bundle, said rollers and said pressing means being each mutually displaceable by hydraulic means so that an elastic pressure is provided by said rollers and said pressing means on the surfaces of the conductor bundle. 